Infiltration
by BobH2
Summary: Jim Kirk finally comes face-to-face with the Jim Kirk of the mirror universe. Or does he?
1. Chapter 1

_(Note: This is a sequel to, and contains spoilers for, 'Mirror Universe Turnabout')_

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Fixing mirrors in front of treadmills has been standard practice in gymnasia since forever, and those in the gymnasium on board the ISS Enterprise were no exception. Most people running on them are happy with this arrangement; they like to watch themselves as they exercise. I don't, not anymore. I'm James T. Kirk, former captain of the starship Enterprise, but that's not who my reflection shows me. No, gazing back unhappily from my mirror is Janice Lester, a civilian, a tomb-raider, and a woman. The original Janice Lester swapped our bodies and fitted me with an undetectable 'bio-collar' that prevents me from telling anyone who I really am. She's dead now, killed by Spock when he decided to take command of the Enterprise.

As a civilian, I have no official role aboard one of the Empire's military vessels. My continued presence on board is solely because Captain Spock tolerates it, and then only as long as I remain the concubine of Nyota Uhura, his personal yeoman, who has a file on Janice Lester's criminal activities that would find its way to the authorities should I ever try to leave her. Oh, and did I also mention that Uhura too used to be a man? Her name was Arthur Coleman. Like me she was mind-swapped by the real Janice Lester, who then destroyed Coleman's body with the original Uhura's mind in it.

With this body being smaller and weaker than my old one, all this gym work is a lot harder than it used to be, but I'm determined to get as fit as I can. As with other areas where socializing occurs on the Enterprise, the gym was also useful for picking up gossip as to where the ship was going and what it was up to, things I had once decided but was no longer even entitled to be informed about.

"Any idea what the Captain was up to when he took a shuttle down to Aragon IV yesterday?" asked the redshirt running in place on the treadmill next to my own.

"No, and so far as I can tell nor does anyone else," said his buddy on the next treadmill over, "what I do know is that that little side trip of his means we'll now have to travel through some uncharted systems to make our rendezvous with the Archangel next week."

Ah yes, the ISS Archangel, sister ship to the Potemkin. Most of the crew believed we were meeting with her to transfer supplies - which we were - but there was another reason for it they did not know about, something which was top secret. As Captain Kirk I'd received orders concerning the latter a month ago. My plan to become a man again depends on what happens during that rendezvous so I had to make absolutely sure I was ready before then.

My session on the treadmill was the final part of my morning exercise regime, so as soon as it was finished I grabbed a towel and headed out of the gym, towelling myself off as I made my way to the turbolift. I would shower when I got back to the quarters I now shared with Uhura.

Arriving at our deck, I exited the turbolift and was making my way along the corridor when someone reached out from a side corridor and pulled me into it. He slammed me against the wall, winding me, and thrust his hand between my legs.

"Been watching you for days," he said. "S'not fair for Uhura to have a fine lookin' woman like you when there's men on board with no women of their own."

I recognised him as Kevin Riley from engineering. He had been drinking.

"You shouldn't be doing this, Riley," I said, trying to struggle free of his grip and realising to my horror that I couldn't.

"Why not," he said, leering, "who's going to stop me?"

"That would me, laddie," said Mr Scott, looming up behind Riley, grabbing him by the shoulder, and throwing him aside. Riley bounced off the opposite wall and ended up in a heap on the floor.

"Ye've been at the demon drink!" thundered Scotty. "You know I won't tolerate those under me drinking alcohol. Your agonizer, Lieutenant, if you please."

He held his hand out to Riley, who now suddenly looked both very sober and very nervous. Meekly, he got to his feet, unclipped the agonizer from his belt, and handed it over to Scotty, who promptly pressed it to the other man's chest and activated it. Riley cried out, his face contorting as the pain drove him to his knees. I smiled with satisfaction at the sight. When I was a man again and once more captain of the Enterprise I was going to see to it that Riley spent several sessions in the agony booth. I was more shaken by his assault than I wanted to admit to myself, and my overwhelming instinct was to want to make him suffer for making me feel so vulnerable.

"Thanks for the save, Mr Scott," I said when he lifted the agonizer from his now whimpering subordinate.

"Thanks?! Thanks?!" he shouted, turning on me. "This as much your fault as his, lassie. Look at you in your harlot's clothing with all that flesh on display, inflaming men's passions and leading them astray!"

'Harlot's clothing'? I was wearing a sports bra, baggy leggings, a headband, gym shoes, and sweatbands on my wrists, so hardly anyone's idea of seductive clothing. Not that Scotty was amenable to reason by this point. Fanatically teetotal, the Enterprise's chief engineer was opposed to 'sin' in all its forms.

"This ship is awash in alcohol and fornication!" he declared, his eyes glowing with the fervour of his disapproval.

"I'm sure it is," I agreed, "but I really do have to go now. Bye, and thanks again!"

I slipped away before Scotty could say anything. As soon as I was out of his sight I slumped against the corridor wall, trembling. Damn this body, damn it to Hades! I _hated_ it!. I'd always been strong and I missed the confidence, the _swagger_ that strength gave me. Uhura was on Spock's team and so, by extension, I enjoyed the protection she did, but that still hadn't prevented me from being groped and having my butt slapped. The men of the Enterprise seemed to feel entitled to do this, laughing at any protest I might make. When I was a man I'd also laughed at that stuff, seeing it as nothing more than harmless fun, but it wasn't as much fun when you were on the receiving end. Riley's assault, though, had been different. If Scotty hadn't come along, he'd have raped me. I touched my hand to the side of my mouth, surprised to find a small trickle of blood there. I'd snagged my lip on a tooth when Riley threw me against that wall and hadn't even noticed until now. It wasn't any sort of major injury, but I still decided to head down to sickbay to get it fixed.

Unlike most of the crew, Christine Chapel wore her agonizer on her chest like a brooch. When I entered sickbay I found her leaning against a bed, depressing the agonizer's button and sending short, sharp shocks into herself. She stopped and slowly focussed her eyes on me, her breathing shallow. There was a film of sweat on her brow.

"Jus' a little pick-me-up," she said, "helps...get me started in the morning."

Nurse Chapel was the only person on board I knew of who used their agonizer for pleasure.

"What can I do for you, Janice?"

"It's my lip."

"Ah, I see. Nothing a few seconds with a tissue regenerator won't fix. How did it happen?"

I told her.

"Yes, you need to watch out for Riley," she said. "He can be a mean drunk."

"I thought being Uhura's woman and her being under the captain's protection would shield me more, but it hasn't stopped me from being groped."

"Nothing will," said Christine, "that's part of a woman's lot. It stinks, but we just have to put up with it. It would be nice if more men learned to keep their hands to themselves, but I'm not holding my breath."

"I hated feeling that helpless when Riley assaulted me. I know some moves but without the strength to back them up they're not much use against someone his size. I'm exercising a lot, slowly building my strength up, but I'm not there yet. I need an equalizer."

Christine looked at me for a moment, then reached into a drawer.

"I may have something," she said, pulling out a ring. "The men don't know about these and we don't want them finding out, so only use them in an emergency, like the situation with Riley."

"What does it do?" I said, slipping it onto my right ring finger.

"Put it close to an agonizer and it causes that agonizer to fire off a single short pulse. Since men wear them on their belts...well, let's just say this usually brings tears to their eyes. They assume it's an agonizer malfunction, and as long as the rings are used sparingly they'll be none the wiser. Too many reports of 'misfiring' agonizers and the game's up."

"Thanks," I said, "are there any other guys I need to be careful of, besides Riley?"

"There are _always_ other guys, and on every ship the women compare notes. I'll give you a list of those you want to be careful never to be alone with in a turbolift..."

This was a depressing introduction to the perils of being a woman and it made me even more determined to pursue my plan of finding my way across to that other universe and stealing the body of their Jim Kirk. Fortunately, I knew how to cross over. The transporter accident that breached the wall between our universes might have resulted in my first trip there, but my second visit was by choice. It had come about a couple of months ago, when I was chosen for that special mission to steal their Spock's brain...


	2. Chapter 2

Uhura was still sleeping when I woke the next morning, her naked body spooned up against my own as it always was, an arm draped over me. It was as if even in sleep she wanted to hold me to her, afraid I might run away and leave her all alone. I gently lifted the arm, not wanting to wake her, then slid out of bed and donned a robe. Waking up female no longer felt as strange as it had. I'd grown used to the weight of breasts on my chest, to the wider hips that gave me such a different walk, and even to being shorter. I'd also grown used to waking up next to Uhura.

I stood there for a moment, smiling down at her and feeling something almost like regret. Yes, she had forced me into a position where I had no choice in becoming her woman, but I didn't hold that against her. In fact I admired how she had manipulated things to achieve that end. The sex was more enjoyable than I'd expected, too, and all she really wanted from me was affection. This was less than most people had demanded of me when I was still captain of the Enterprise and so had power. Now I had none. I leaned down and stroked her hair. She was so beautiful!

It was a shame I was going to have to kill her.

When I had a male body again and was once more captain of the Enterprise I could not command respect if anyone knew I had let myself get caught in a position where I was forced to become someone's concubine. I would have to make sure there was no way anyone could ever find out. Which was why Uhura would have to die.

But not just yet.

I was in no hurry to throw away one of the few good things I had so far found about being Janice Lester. Sighing, I made my way to the bathroom, going over my plans for the thousandth time as I showered and dressed. Today was the day we rendezvoused with the Archangel and, despite the unplanned adventures we'd been through over the past week, we would make our scheduled meeting on time. This was my one shot at the brass ring. If I blew it I had no idea how I was ever going to get to the other universe again.

Uhura got up a little later and while she showered I called up breakfast. This was one of my regular tasks because as well as providing sexual services, being a yeoman's woman meant I also performed most of the functions of a housewife. As we sat together eating, Uhura checked out the latest shipboard news on the computer.

"Top item is that all ships in the fleet have received a message from the First Minister," she said, reading from the screen, "reminding us the Emperor is about to celebrate a hundred and twelve years on the throne and...huh."

"What?"

"Captain Cartwright has been killed by a wild beast while leading a landing party exploring some newly discovered planet."

"That was careless of him," I said. Cartwright had been captain of the Archangel.

"Since we'll be returning to Earth before the Archangel, her new captain - Raoul Dominguez - has asked us to take possession of his body and store it in our hold until then. Captain Spock has agreed to do so."

With Spock tied up in the secret meeting I knew he'd be having, Uhura would be spending most of the day memorizing starfleet communications protocols since he had insisted she should become as proficient in these as the original Uhura had been. This made sense. It would look odd if, in an emergency, she was called in to take over at Comms and had no idea what to do. Which is why, after we rendezvoused with the Archangel that afternoon, I was able to slip away while she was laboring over a problem the computer had set her.

I made my way directly to the meeting room. Standing on guard outside were a couple of redshirts, one of whom had groped me two days earlier. He smirked when he saw me coming towards them, which was going to make what came next as much a pleasure as a necessity. As I reached them, apparently just walking by, I turned suddenly, and in rapid succession passed my ring over their agonizers. There was a brief crackling sound, and both men dropped as if they'd been pole-axed. I'd incapacitated them, but not for long. Moving to the door's security keypad, I quickly typed in an access code. Spock would have disabled all my official access codes as a matter of course, but I had set up several others against the possibility of my one day being shut out of the system. When the door whooshed open, I strode in with a confidence I was not actually feeling.

Spock was sitting across a table from two men dressed in high- collared black suits; one looked to be south Asian, the other Scandinavian. From the orders I'd received about this meeting a month ago, I knew their names were Patel and Sorensen.

"Don't get up, gentlemen," I said, raising my hands, "I'm here to talk, not to fight."

"Who is this woman?" demanded Patel.

"My name is Janice Lester," I said, "and for the past several years I've been working deep cover as a tomb raider under the personal authority of Admiral Rosen and reporting to James T. Kirk."

"Admiral Rosen died when the ISS Santiago was destroyed three months ago."

"I know, and Captain Spock eliminated Jim Kirk two weeks ago, so you see my problem."

"You're claiming to be an off-the-books operative, but the only two men who could have vouched for you are dead. Convenient."

"The very opposite of convenient, actually. I'm here to prove to you I'm who and what I claim to be."

"And how do you propose to do that?" asked Sorensen.

"By demonstrating knowledge I couldn't possibly have if I was a phoney. I'll begin with one word, a name: Defiant."

The two guards had recovered sufficiently by now to angrily stagger into the room, one of them grabbing me roughly by the shoulder.

"No, let her be," said Patel, "and wait outside unless we call you back in."

Casting murderous glances my way, they reluctantly complied while I smiled sweetly at them.

"How did you disable the guards, by the way?" asked Sorensen after they had left.

"Special black-ops tech," I lied, "classified."

"OK, let's hear you prove your claims..."

I turned to Spock, who had said nothing but was frowning deeply. He knew I was lying, but his curiosity about what I was up to had so far prevented him from exposing me.

"Captain Spock," I said, "you believe that we discovered the existence of a parallel universe, the universe of the Federation, when a transporter accident caused four members of the crew of the Enterprise to switch places with their counterparts from that other universe, correct?"

"That is correct, Miss Lester."

Ah, 'Miss Lester'. Reminding me of my place now. Very good.

"Would it surprise you to learn we've known the Federation existed for more than a century."

"It would, if true."

"And the Tholians. What do you know of them?"

"A crystalline race absorbed into the Empire thirty four years ago after we finally discovered a means of overcoming their energy web technology. Extremely belligerent, they had to be forced to submit to Empire rule, in the course of which they lost over ninety percent of their population and were reduced to a pre-technological state."

"Almost immediately after the defeat of the Tholian Assembly, the Empire established a heavily armed starbase on the edge of the space they had claimed as their territory, which we've maintained ever since. Do you know why?"

"I do not. Since the Tholians are now pre-technological, they no longer pose a threat that would warrant such an investment."

"They don't. The reason that starbase is there can be found in the brief, ignoble reign of Empress Sato. Do you recall the story?"

"I do. Hoshi Sato had command of a fleet of starships, whose power she threatened to use on Earth if she was not declared Empress. Her reign lasted one year, three months, and eleven days. At that point she lost control of her fleet and was overthrown within hours. Her head remained on a spike outside the imperial palace for several weeks afterwards."

"That's the official story, the one taught in history class, but it's not the whole truth. Sato commanded not a fleet of starships but one. It was a Federation starship called the USS Defiant, and it was from a hundred years in the future."

"Indeed," said Spock, raising an eyebrow. I had him now.

"There's an area in what was Tholian territory where there are dimensional fractures in space. This must also hold true in the Federation's universe, too, because the Defiant tumbled through one of those fractures. None of the crew survived. It's because of those fractures we maintain the starbase. The powers that be worry about what else might come tumbling through one day. The Defiant was taken by the Tholians and later captured from them by Captain Jonathan Archer. Hoshi Sato was the Captain's woman. She poisoned Archer, took command of the Defiant, and used it to make herself Empress. Unfortunately for her, Sato trusted someone she shouldn't have, someone, who let her enemies on board, and the Defiant was captured. There was certainly no way Empire ships of the day could have taken it militarily. The capture of all that future technology was hugely significant in accelerating the technological advancement of the Empire, but of even greater significance were the mission logs contained in her computers. Some of these had been lost, but most were intact. They provided a road map laying out the dangers the Empire would encounter in the territories it was expanding into and, in most cases, how those dangers had been overcome. Every Federation starship also has copies of the mission logs of every other ship in the fleet, so this was an enormously important find."

"A great treasure, indeed," said Spock.

"The Empire doled out the information to its captains sparingly with most receiving only the logs that related to their own missions, and then usually only a few months in advance of when they would be needed. Unfortunately, among the missing mission logs was the one covering this Enterprise's first encounter with the crew of the other Enterprise. When Captain Kirk found himself on that starship along with Uhura, Scott, and McCoy he was caught out. Unprepared for the encounter, he initially thought he was the victim of some sort of subterfuge and so gave himself away. He and the others were then quickly imprisoned. A lost opportunity, alas."

"Now that I am captain of the Enterprise, why have I not been given copies of those mission logs that relate to this ship?" asked Spock.

"Because we're now past the point in time where the Defiant's logs end," said Sorensen. "From here on out we're in uncharted territory."

"All you've proven so far, Miss Lester, is that you've gotten hold of some of the Empire's most closely guarded secrets," said Patel. "You could be a spy. How do you propose to prove that you're not?"

I had expected this.

"To do that will require the help of Captain Cartwright."

"Captain Cartwright is dead."

"No," I said, "he's not. If I had to guess I'd say he's in the ante room off this one, listening in on everything being said."

There was a moment's pause, then the ante room door whooshed open and Captain Cartwright strode out.

"The young lady appears to know just about everything, gentleman," he said, "but I have no idea how I'm supposed to prove she's not a spy."

Lawrence Cartwright was tall, dark-skinned, and commanding. He was also one of my oldest friends in starfleet.

"Knowing I could find myself in the situation I'm now in, Jim Kirk told me a bunch of stuff that only he and specific other people would know about, personal memories he had never shared with anyone else that would establish my bona fides by proving to those individuals I had his complete confidence. You and Jim Kirk knew each other a long time, Captain Cartwright. He said there was a particular story from when you were cadets that you had both sworn never to tell another soul. He then told me that tale and said that you should stop me when you were sure I knew the whole thing, that you wouldn't want the story getting out."

"Go on," said Larry Cartwright, frowning.

"OK. The story concerns two young cadets enjoying a furlough on Wrigley's Pleasure Planet, where they met a pair of young women named Faora and Alarna from Mars Colony. When the..."

"No need to go any further," said Larry, looking alarmed as well he might. "You're who you say you are. No way Jim Kirk would have told you that story if you weren't."

"Assuming for the moment you're who and what you claim to be, what is it you want, Miss Lester?" asked Patel.

This was it. Time for the big lie.

"The Empire doesn't believe the Federation has any spies over here," I said, "but we're still taking the precaution of faking Captain Cartwright's death just in case. In actual fact, the Enterprise is taking him to Earth where he will use a trans-dimensional harness to cross over into the other universe and infiltrate the Federation. You brought along a second harness that you were told was back-up in case the first one fails. It isn't. It's actually intended for me."

"_You_?" said Sorensen, incredulously. "Why would we send you across?"

"So I can go under deep cover again. This time not as a tomb raider, but as crewmember on their Enterprise."

Patel stared at me long and hard.

"This is too big a decision to make just based on your word alone," he said. "I need to seek confirmation from the Council."

I showed no outward reaction, but my heart sank. They were calling my bluff, so that was it; game over. I had given it best shot.

And I had failed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you sure you want an anaesthetic?" Nurse Chapel had asked.

"Absolutely sure," I'd replied. "I'm not having cosmetic surgery without it."

That was four days ago, and I was still getting used to my altered face. The changes weren't major, but then they didn't need to be. They were just enough so that while I still bore a passing resemblance to Janice Lester, no one would assume I was her. The long, straight, black hair also helped, as did the more pronounced midwestern twang I'd decided on and been practicing over and over until I could now adopt it at will.

"I don't like it!" Uhura had said when she saw my new appearance for the first time in our quarters that night.

"What, I'm not pretty enough for you now?" I replied, running the back of my finger gently down her cheek, and smiling at how this made her tremble.

"No...I mean yes," she said, "it's just that you don't look like my Janice anymore. Can they fix it when this mission is over, put you back the way you were?"

"Dr McCoy assures me the surgery can be easily reversed," I told her, which was good to know. Even if it wasn't one I planned on using, it was always wise to have as many options as possible available to you.

"I know you can't tell me what the mission is, but why did they pick you for it? You're not even starfleet, and they've got no idea who you used to be so it can't be that."

That was the big question. We had just entered Earth orbit. In a few minutes I would be in another universe. What a turn around from five days ago when I thought I had lost everything. Patel had put in a call to Science Minister Sybok, who at this stage of the project was in charge of all things relating to the other universe...and Sybok had confirmed that everything I'd told them was true and that I was to cross to the other universe with Larry Cartwright. Why had he done that? Why had he legitimized my lies? What game was he playing? Was this his own decision or had it been sanctioned by the Council, maybe even by the Emperor himself? I had no answers to these questions, and that worried me, but for now I had to put them out of my mind. For now I had to concentrate on the mission at hand and my plan to become Captain James T. Kirk once more.

Larry and I were in the transporter room, our harnesses on, checking our equipment. A century of studying the Defiant's computers and technology had given us a lot of advantages over the Federation. We had long since cracked all their current encryption and codes, for example, and had sub-dermal communicators that would enable us to communicate with each other without starfleet knowing about it.

"The timing on this is going to be very tight," I told him. "According to the Defiant computer records, the Enterprise was due to have spent most of the past two months being refitted prior to commencing the second part of its five year mission. Assuming nothing happened in the meantime to disrupt the schedule, it's due to set off on that voyage in two days. That doesn't give us a lot of leeway."

"You've worked up a pretty good legend for 'Jenna Lawson' during the time you've been on board," said Larry, a 'legend' being a highly detailed fake identity, "and since I was recently promoted to Admiral over there I'll be able to get it into starfleet's database as soon as I'm in place."

"Good," I said. "Did you get that vial of Draxian metaflu from Dr McCoy?"

"Yes, but you haven't explained how an unpleasant but fairly harmless virus that passes through someone's system in a week is going to help you."

"We know it's relatively harmless, but they don't, nor do they have any drugs that will touch it. When our target comes out in that alarming all-over rash and starts vomiting a lot, they'll have no choice in how they react. Since it's new to them, starfleet quarantine protocols will come into force."

"Ah, I see. Very clever. You've really got it all thought out, haven't you?"

"I'd better," I said. "I'm only going to get one shot at this, after all."

The transporter room door whooshed open and Spock entered. He went directly to the control console.

"It is time," he said.

We mounted the transporter platform, where our baggage was already waiting for us on two of the pads, clad in harnesses.

"Energizing," said Spock, rising the sliders...

...and we materialized outside a log cabin, in some woods, in another universe. The cabin was Larry's - or rather his Federation counterpart's - and located several miles outside San Francisco. While we were able to mask our transport signature from Federation sensors, we couldn't guarantee we'd be unobserved if we had transported directly into the city itself, hence the choice of this relatively remote location. Plus, of course, should we want to get back to out own universe we could only do so from the spot where we arrived in this one.

"Amazing!" said Larry. "We're actually in another universe."

"Yes, it is," I said, "but the harnesses only enable individuals to cross over. We need to find a way of opening a portal between the universes that ships can pass through."

"OK, let's get this stuff stowed in the cabin," said Larry, "then we have to get into the city so we can get the lay of the land and figure out how we're going to take out the Admiral and have me replace him."

It was of course at that exact moment that Admiral Cartwright appeared from behind the cabin, carrying a pile of freshly chopped logs. The instant he saw his doppelganger standing there he knew it meant trouble. He was dropping the logs and reaching for his communicator almost before we could react.

He was fast. I was faster.

I downed him with a stun beam from my phaser as he flipped the communicator open. Leaving the Admiral unconscious where he lay, Larry and I silently circled around the cabin from opposite directions, phasers at the ready, concerned he might not be here alone. Luckily for us, it turned out that he was. Even more luckily, his flier was parked out back.

"Fortune certainly smiled on us today," I said. "The Admiral being out here and us getting the drop on him like that has saved you and me a lot of trouble."

"It's even better than that," said Larry, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "We expected to have to kill him then smuggle his body out here so we could vaporise him without having to worry about the sensors in the city that would pick up a phaser discharge. Instead we have a high value captive. Help me get a harness on him and we'll drag him out to our arrival spot. He's going on a one way trip to our universe."

I wrote a note explaining the circumstances of his capture, Larry taped it to his chest, and then we did just that, watching as he dematerialized and was whisked away.

"We'll extract valuable intelligence from him," said Larry.

"The Empire already knows a vast amount about the Federation," I mused, "while they know almost nothing about us. You know what that makes them?"

"What?"

"Prey."

Back in the cabin, Larry fired up the computer.

"It's almost funny," he said, as a beam from the unit scanned his features, "that because we use secure biometrics for identity verification these days I'm able to easily access the starfleet database, whereas oldtime passwords would have been a problem. Being genetically identically to the other Lawrence Cartwright, I sail right past facial scanners and DNA sniffers."

"Welcome, Admiral Cartwright," said a mechanical voice.

"And we're in! Do you have Jenna Lawson's legend?"

I handed him the datachip I'd prepared and he slid it into the relevant computer port.

"Right, I'll leave you to make all the necessary connections and amendments," he said, getting up from his seat. "I need to take the flyer into the city and make sure a certain starfleet officer comes down with Draxian metaflu. I'll be back in a few hours."


	4. Chapter 4

"I can't believe how short the skirts are on female starfleet uniforms over here," I said, trying to pull the hem down further than it wanted to go. "This thing barely covers my backside."

"Better get used to it," chuckled Larry, "because you're going to be spending most of your time in it from now on."

Having spent the night in the cabin we were now preparing to take our leave of it. By the time Larry had returned the previous evening, I had my new identity firmly established across starfleet and all that was left for us both to do was get a good night's sleep, which we had.

"I'd take you into the city if I could, but you're going to have to make do with a transit stop on the nearest highway. No one must be able to connect us, so we can't be seen together."

Which is how I found myself on a transit shuttle an hour or so later when the orders I'd been expecting came through from starfleet. It had worked. I was in!

I was instructed to report to Captain Kirk at the Starfleet Academy ballroom, which was a surprise, where he and several of his crew were helping Janice Lester and Arthur Coleman celebrate their wedding, an even bigger surprise. They had apparently gotten hitched before a Justice of the Peace earlier in the day, and not only had Jim Kirk supplied the bridal gown, he had also arranged this room for their party and given the bride away. Clearly, he and Janice Lester were close in this universe.

When I got to the ballroom, most of those present were on the dance floor. Janice Rand had been the maid of honor and she now had Jamie Lisa in her arms, the pair gazing into each other's eyes as they slow-danced, while the bride and groom were dancing together a few feet away. It was strange seeing Janice Rand alive and well and looking so happy when I had strangled her counterpart to death in my universe. I was reflecting on this when I caught my first ever sight of my own counterpart in the flesh.

"May I cut in?" said Jim Kirk, tapping Arthur Coleman on the shoulder.

"Of course, Captain," replied Coleman.

As Kirk took her husband's place, sliding his hands around Janice Lester's waist, I moved closer so that I could listen in on their conversation. Fortunately, they were by this point near the edge of the dance floor.

"So, Janice, how does it feel to be Mrs Coleman?" Kirk asked.

"Wonderful, but I'm keeping my own surname. This is the twenty-third century, after all."

"Quite right, too."

"How about you? Are you looking forward to getting back out there?"

"Like you would not believe. I was born to be the captain of a starship. Adventuring out among the stars is where I belong."

"I've got an adventure of my own coming up in nine months."

"Nine...does that mean?"

"Yes, I'm pregnant."

"That was quick. I'm impressed."

"I told you Arthur and I had a lot of lost time to make up for, and we have been."

"Good for you," Kirk said, looking at her thoughtfully, "good, for you."

When the next dance started up, Kirk relinquished Janice Lester to her husband and left the dance floor. That's when he spotted me.

"Lieutenant Commander," he said, "you're not wearing your dress uniform."

"No, sir," I replied, "I'm not a guest. Given that the Enterprise is due to leave for deep space tomorrow, I was ordered to report to you immediately. I'm Jenna Lawson, your replacement Security Chief."

I tried not to stare, not to study every inch of that oh so familiar face, but it was hard. We were finally meeting in person, just not in the way I'd imagined we would.

"Ah yes, a shame Giotto took ill," he said. "Good to have you with us, Lawson. Do you dance?"

"What? A little, I guess..."

"A little is enough," he said taking my hand and leading me onto the dance floor. He slid his free hand around my waist, I put mine on his shoulder, and we joined in with the dancing. It was odd not to be leading, odder still to be looking into my own true face.

"So, Lieutenant Commander Jenna Lawson," he said, "tell me about your career."

So I did, giving him details from my carefully constructed legend and answering the technical questions he put to me, the latter being easy for someone with my years of experience captaining a starship. Having an interview while being waltzed around a dance floor only added to how strange my day had so far been. When he was satisfied I knew my stuff, Kirk asked me what I thought of the bride's dress. I glanced across at Janice Lester.

"Impressive use of silk and lace and fine embroidery," I said, "it's a stunning creation. Kudos to the designer."

"Do you see yourself in one like it some day?"

"I could certainly see my bride in it."

"'Bride'? Then you're..."

"Not sexually interested in men? No, sir."

"Well, the crew of the Enterprise numbers four hundred and thirty. I'm sure you'll find no shortage of potential female partners."

"I hope so. Thank you, sir."

The dance ended, we nodded and smiled at each other, then we parted. I left soon afterwards and beamed up to the ship. The Enterprise might not be heading out until tomorrow, but as Jenna Lawson I had no actual residence of my own. Also, I was eager to get established, so I'd decided to go aboard tonight and sleep in my assigned quarters. My kit and carefully crafted 'personal effects' - brought across with me from my universe - had been beamed aboard earlier and were waiting for me there when I took possession of those quarters. Once inside, I sat down on the bed, looked around me, then threw my head back and laughed with relief.

I had done it. I was in.

The following day, when the Enterprise eased out of spacedock to begin the final two years of its five year mission, I was one of those on the bridge. My predecessor, Vince Giotto, had mostly stayed off the bridge, choosing to direct the day-to-day running of the redshirts from his office. Watching the Enterprise's bridge officers concentrating on their assigned tasks I couldn't help comparing them to their counterparts on my own ship.

Save for the missing beard, Mr Spock seemed identical to the man I knew, the others not so much. My Sulu and Chekov were schemers who would stab you in the back at the first opportunity, whereas this pair seemed loyal, attentive, and frankly bland. Looking at Uhura I couldn't help but see the woman whose bed I had shared these past few weeks, rather than the promiscuous firebrand the original had been.

Then there was Captain Kirk.

Kirk puzzled me. He seemed not so much another version of me as someone playing at being me. It was very well done and most people wouldn't notice anything wrong with it, but it still felt like an impersonation. I had not expected this and was at a loss to explain it. Not that it ultimately mattered. As soon as I could figure out a way to do so I was getting us to Camus II. That was my priority. But it wasn't my only mission. I would also be learning everything I could about the Enterprise's operation and how it differed from ours.

I might have my own agenda as well, but I was first and foremost a loyal servant of the Empire. I believed in the Prime Directive, which states that "all civilisations shall be made a part of the Empire using whatever force is necessary". The Emperor himself had created the directive, and it was the Emperor who had decided it should apply in this universe as well as our own.

Admiral Cartwright and I were now in position. We were the first, but we wouldn't be the last.

The infiltration of the Federation had begun.

"""""""""""""""""

_Notes:_

_I made mention of "the unplanned adventures" above because I had ideas for a couple of 'sidebar' tales that would have to fit in at that point. So this was just laying down a marker for if I decide to come back and write them later._

_Chronological order of stories to date (not the order in which I wrote them, but how they fit together):_

_1. Spock's Brain: Before and After  
>2. Turnabout Intruder - part 2<br>3. Mirror Universe Turnabout  
>4. Interlude on Aragon IV<br>5. Infiltration  
>6. The Second Life of Janice Lester<em>

_Since 'The Second Life of Janice Lester' is the bridging tale between the early stories and those set thirty years later (which I've yet to start) it will probably keep moving higher in number for a while yet as I write more early-set tales._


End file.
